| Event | Date | Description | Where | Status |
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Annual Banquet & Meeting
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Saturday, February 8, 2020 6:00 PM
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Make plans now to attend the TCAA’s Annual Meeting. Next year, 2020, will be the 60th anniversary of the club’s founding. Next year’s celebratory event will be held on Saturday, February 8th, at the Normal Township Hall, 304 East Mulberry Street, Normal. The doors will open at 6:00PM, with those gathered called to order at 6:30PM. Again, get this date into your calendar so you don’t forget about it and can avoid a schedule conflict. The TCAA Annual Meeting one of the best activities that the club sponsors throughout the year, and you’ll not want to miss it!
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Normal Township Hall
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Scheduled
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Mars & the Events of 2020
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Saturday, April 25, 2020 7:00 PM
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Mars makes its closest approach to Earth every 780 days (1.9 years). The next closest approach will occur on October 13th, 2020 when it appears opposite the sun in the sky. Prepare now to observe Mars as it moves rapidly eastward among the stars of the zodiac, brightening all the while, and then suddenly executing an impressive 13-degree-long retrograde zigzag!
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Sugar Grove Nature Center
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Scheduled
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Galaxies of the Spring
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Saturday, May 23, 2020 8:45 PM
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In the spring, our line of sight on the sky looks straight out of our galaxy into the vast space beyond, showcasing thousands of bright galaxies and millions of dim ones. We will tour this neighborhood of the universe, highlighting some of the most beautiful galaxies in the heavens.
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Sugar Grove Nature Center
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Scheduled
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Navigating with Stars
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Saturday, June 20, 2020 9:00 PM
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For centuries, navigators have relied on stars to identify directions, compute latitude, and even read local time. We will explore these ideas and also examine the problem of measuring one’s longitude at sea – a fascinating problem that defeated some of the best minds in the world for many years.
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Sugar Grove Nature Center
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Scheduled
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Jupiter and Saturn
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Saturday, July 18, 2020 9:00 PM
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Jupiter and Saturn offer stark contrasts when compared to the inner planets. We will review how and why they formed in their current locations and their impact on the formation of the rest of the solar system. We will learn how the two greatest planets are similar yet different.
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Sugar Grove Nature Center
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Scheduled
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Touring the Milky Way
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Saturday, August 22, 2020 8:15 PM
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The Milky Way is one of countless stellar islands floating in a cosmic foam of dark matter, dark energy, and matter. Humanity is trying to find out what our galaxy looks like inside and out using ingenious observing methods and increasingly more sensitive equipment. Take a tour of our “cosmic home” to see what we know so far.
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Sugar Grove Nature Center
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Scheduled
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The ISS: Past, Present and Future
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Saturday, September 19, 2020 7:30 PM
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The International Space Station (ISS) is humankind’s largest artificial satellite. Given the right time and conditions, it can be easily seen orbiting overhead. We will look at how it was constructed, how it is used, what it is like living in space, and where it is headed in the future.
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Sugar Grove Nature Center
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Scheduled
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Missions to Mars
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Saturday, October 17, 2020 7:00 PM
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As we reach our closest approach to Mars for the year, the Red Planet shines brightly throughout the evening. Let’s review the many spacecraft missions we’ve sent there, what they are revealing, and how they are paving the way for a future manned mission to Mars.
In addition, we will have a laser-guided sky tour and telescope observing.
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Sugar Grove Nature Center
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Scheduled
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